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Friday, November 2, 2012

NaNoWriMo Day 1

NaNoWriMo Day 1

I didn’t
outline.I meant to, but
procrastinated.Last night I had a hard
time falling asleep in hopes of figuring out the opening to my NaNo novel.And so it begins.The month of self-inflicted hell.

I toyed
with the idea for this novel when I first started this blog.It was the novel mentioned in the blog’s
title.I had ideas stacking up in my
head like a madness.I had most of the
story laid out (mentally, not on paper) and was just beginning the first
chapters when all hell broke loose.(yes, the murdered-sister thing).

I put the
novel aside.It was gory and scary and
focused on an evil that any one of us could possess.I had more than enough of my share of all
those things, I didn’t need to focus on writing a book about them at the
time.

But
somewhere inside, I still wanted to write that story.I liked the characters, I liked the message,
I loved the twists.So this year, this
NaNoWriMo, I’m going to write that original novel that sparked the writers-urge
in me years ago.And you know what? I’ve
learned a whole lot about writing since then.I’ve been published, twice. I’ve self published once. I’ve created the
prompt-and-share, reviewed novels and done my share of editing. I’ve completed
a writing course, AND, I’ve got one NaNoWriMo certificate under my belt.That’s the good stuff.

The
not-so-good stuff: I haven’t written in a while.That trumps all of the positive
accomplishments listed above.When it
came time today to sit my butt in that chair and fly the words off the
keyboard, I got stuck.That’s the simple
way of putting it.Stuck.The true definition of “stuck”? Scared,
unsure, self-conscious, weary, leery, confused, over-whelmed and more
importantly, doubtful.

But here’s
the thing, NaNo is about more than writing a novel, it’s about getting into the
groove of writing everyday.And let me
tell you, if you don’t keep at it, like any other muscle in your body, it’ll
atrophy.

So to all
of you who got their word count in today – Kudos and congrats! Beyond all the
self-doubt and procrastination that reared its ugly head with distractions of
all shapes and sizes, I too began my NaNo journey today.

2 comments:

Above all others, I would put my faith in you to chalk up another NaNo victory. Your achievements to date are testament to your ability - perhaps you're thinking about it too much. Girl, just let it flow and to hell with the critics!

457 words myself, day one. Not good. Edited, though, as I've posted it as my 'excerpt'.

Like you, I'm eventually writing the first ever tome I put together. It's a jumbled mess, but after failing last year, I'm determined to succeed, come what may.

Find that groove, become unstuck, write about something else for a bit - you have the power!

I think that taking a post and doing some honest self-analysis is always a good idea. You are 100% correct about making writing a habit. I've written every day for the last 1,192. For me, it is the most important part of my day.

It has been long enough that I can't remember NOT writing, but I know there was a time I didn't write at all.

When I started my blog on Jan 2, 2010, I hated writing. I was 43 at the time and still had bad memories of my 8th grade English teacher. Some called her Mrs. Johnson, but I preferred her Christian name...Satan.

Still, on that faithful day I wrote a blog post mocking my foibles at woodworking the day before. The old adage, "Measure Twice, Cut Once" fails miserably if one is measuring and watching college football.

So, now I'm addicted to writing. It isn't always good, but it is mine and I love it.

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